Personal Log | Xander Hark, CIV | "Personal Transport Service... Klingon style."

Posted on Sat May 14th, 2016 @ 5:23am by Admiral Alexander Hark

2,084 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Resurgere

=/\= IKS Chang, Klingon Chancellor's Personal Flagship =/\=

Stalking.

That could have been one word to describe the Chang as it slid silently through Federation space towards Cold Station Theta, they were about 12 hours from hitting the system at mid warp speed, the Chancellor himself had come when Xander had contacted him to arrange transport to the far reaches of Federation space, the whole Empire was on alert and as such, the Chancellor had taken to keeping on the move within friendly space.

The two warriors, one Klingon and one Human sat at the head of the table in one of the feasting rooms that were housed on the huge Klingon battleship, its walls were decorated with the skulls of slain opponents and creatures of all sizes, furious grotesques looked down on them from all angles and the sound of a hundred hungry, boisterous Klingons rang out through the corridors leading away from it.

Between the two warriors at the head of the table there was only a small space, a sign of the respect and trust that the two had placed in each other over the time that they had known each other, they had fought wars together, toasted victories together, tasted betrayal and burned the corpses of their enemies together, they had sworn an oath of brotherhood in the halls of the Empire, before the greatest heroes that the Empire had ever known, Chancellor Ch'Krang slammed his tankard on the table as he emptied the contents and dunked it into the barrel next to him to refil.

“Still putting it away as fast as ever, my friend.” Xander joked as he followed suit and chugged the last dregs of his bloodwine from his tankard before filling it again.

“This is a time to celebrate, Xander the Indomitable is becoming Xander the Grandfather!” the greying Klingon cheered as he took another swig and slapped his friend on the back, sending bloodwine tumbling from the tankard held in the Human's hand. “It's not every day that a mighty warrior gets to see his line continue ever onwards into the future,”

“Xander the terrified more likely,” the former Admiral replied with a nervous laugh as he took another swig and rested his elbow down on the arm of the chair, “I didn't know that I had a daughter until quite recently, I felt a connection to her but I originally thought that was because I was trying to honour the memory of her mother.” he continued as he used his free hand to massage some life back into his swigging arm, it had grown sore over the last couple of hours that he had spent in the company of the Chancellor, “Then a friend of the family dropped some knowledge on me, showed me something that had remained hidden for so long... too long.”

Ch'Krang nodded along as Xander spoke, taking great gulps of his drink as he did until the tankard was empty again, the ritual was completed in the same manner as before, slamming it on the table before refilling it, “I know how you feel Xander, I was not around for my son while he was growing up, I didn't know him until he had become a man, when I first met him he wore a Starfleet uniform and was serving on a ship commanded by a Romulan.” the Klingon spat the last word with a hatred as it passed his lips, “I had been lost to time until we somehow made our way back, it was pure luck that I happened to come across his ship when we returned.”

“You cannot blame yourself for what happened in the past, Xander.” he added with a fang filled grin, “Nothing you could have done would have changed how things went, all you can do is do your best to be there for your daughter now, when she needs her family around her, you need to be there, which is why I ordered the bridge to speed our progress, we're currently running three hours ahead of schedule.”

“I remember reading the report about your... reappearance from Ch'tan when it was submitted through his chain of command, I have to admit, I share your distaste for Romulans but Captain t'Rehu was one of a different breed of Romulan, she served Starfleet well in her time as Commanding Officer of the Charon.” Xander replied as he took a large gulp from his mug and allowed the bloodwine to flow slowly down his throat, closing his eyes and savouring the taste for a few moments before looking over to the Klingon next to him, “You have done your house and your family proud since you returned, it took some convincing but I'm glad that the Council chose to restore your House on your return, they had blocked your Son claiming his right as successor because of his affiliation at the time, things may have been very different had they chosen to exile you both.”

“They nearly did, my friend.” Ch'Krang replied as his smile darkened and he stretched slightly, “A pair of traitors tried to claim that I had betrayed the Empire to the Romulans. I took their heads in honourable combat before the Council and earnt my House back. As for t'Rehu, she may have served Starfleet, but now she is in command of the fleets that my son is tasked with driving back into Romulan space, that woman has become a thorn in my side.”

“As is your right, you did seize significant space from the Romulans when they were dealing with the aftermath of the whole... Triad situation and their own civil war, they let their defences down and saw a glorious Klingon surge in power.” Xander replied with a chuckle as he slid a padd out from his jacket and waved it slightly before activating it, “I've also seen your reports on the actions against the Gorn, Krivaldi and Orions as well as the pirates that call the Borderlands their home, it has been a busy time for the Klingon Empire, one filled with conquest and strength.”

“Under your leadership, the Empire has thrown off the shackles of the past and embraced change while still retaining their warrior spirit, the Empire is as strong as ever and thriving, even in the face of renewed Romulan aggression.” the greying Human added as he scrolled through various reports, “My remaining contacts within the intelligence community forwarded these details to me, they thought I could use them while I was at Cold Station Theta, they seem to think that I will be there for some time.” he finished with a chuckle as he finished his drink again.

“There have been some glorious times since I took the big seat,” Ch'Krang replied with a nod and a large cheer as he slammed his tankard down again, the assembled warriors in the hall all turned to their Chancellor and returned the salute, a chorus of cheers, shouts and the hammering of metal on metal filled the room for what seemed like an hour but was closer to five minutes. “Much honour has been won since you left, I just wish that you could have stayed to fight by our side, I took to the field personally against the Gorn, I will remember that day for an eternity and it shall go down in history as the day we subdued them with a furious anger that overpowered their primal instincts.”

“I fought side by side with General Jaktor, you met him in the great hall when the traitors were executed at the end of the civil war, he showed me exactly how he came to escape from the station named Tala Czar when he was ambushed and captured, he took down one of the Gorn's biggest champions and his reptilian hunting beasts with his bare hands, he was also responsible for single handedly laying waste to an armoury and a starship.”

If this had been several years ago before he had witnessed the brutal killing machine that had been named Jaktor, Xander would have called the Chancellor a liar, but he had witnessed Jaktor in person and had seen the reports of him in action, he was fury and anger personified, under the guidance of Ch'tan and Ch'Krang he had grown to be a superior tactician and an inspiring leader, the day that the traitors had been bought before the council, Jaktor had accepted the challenge of taking them on in single combat and had broken each of them in turn without breaking a sweat, reports of his deeds on the battlefield had him using a vehicle mounted weapon as an assault rifle and leading from the front against seemingly innumerable odds, he had never lost a battle and had been named Champion of the Empire by both the Chancellor and the clone of Kahless himself.

“I remember that day very well, I'm just glad that I have never been on the receiving end of anything that Jaktor is handing out.” Xander replied as he pushed himself to his feet, swaying slightly as the bloodwine rushed to his head, he shook his head a few times and smiled at his friend, “I think I should head to my quarters and get some rest before we arrive, I don't think my daughter would appreciate me turning up to the birth of her first child drunk.”

“Before you leave, Xander, I have a gift for your grandchild, the moment they are strong enough, you should present them with it.” the greying Klingon replied as he forced himself to his feet and reached out a hand to grasp a gift that one of his warriors had bought to the pair, “A matched pair of Mek'leth, these blades have been in my family for over three hundred years, they have seen action in the hands of every member of the family, right down to my son, I want you to take them, forge a strength in your house that rivals my own.”

It took a few moments for Xander to truly comprehend the gravity of the gift that was being presented to his grandchild through him, it was rare for a Klingon to give up a weapon, especially one that had been part of his house for as long as these had, it was a mark of great love between the two sworn brothers that he was being trusted with such a valued heirloom.

“Ch'Krang, brother, I don't know what to say, this is truly a generous gift.” the Human stated as he moved to stand directly opposite the Chancellor, he placed both of his hands on the shoulders of the Klingon and drew him in for a tight hug for a few moments before breaking it and hammering his fist to his chest in a salute, “You honour me and my family, Ch'Krang the Conqueror.”

“The honour is mine, brother.” Ch'Krang replied as he chuckled slightly at the title he had been given by his closest allies, a name that had begun to spread throughout the Klingon Empire, “There are always more worlds to conquer, especially with the Romulans so close.” he added with a grin that revealed rows of sharp yellowing teeth.

“Remember what I taught you, caution is honourable if it leads to greater victories, wars are not won through brute force alone.” Xander responded as he was handed the weapons by the warrior, he wrapped them in the leather supplied and bundled the package under his arm and took a step back.

“Will you spend some time on Cold Station Theta with me? We should toast my grandchild when he or she finally arrives.” the Human asked as he turned to leave, a glance over his shoulder at the smirking Klingon told him everything that he needed to know.

“Count on it, Xander the Grandfather.” Ch'Krang replied as he grasped his tankard and hammered it on the table several times to get the attention of his warriors. “Sons and Daughters of Qo'noS, to Xander the Grandfather! May his spawn conquer the galaxy in his name!” he called out before hammering his tankard down again to end the toast.

That night, Xander lay in his bunk, the sounds of that final toast ringing in his ears, a smile on his face as he came to the realisation that within a day he would be with his daughter again.

(To Be Continued...)

Alexander 'Xander' Hark
Former Commander In Chief, Starfleet
NPC apb Mike

 

RSS Feed